Moviephile

If you read my other blog, Booktastic, this is going to be a bit of a repetitive day for you - sorry.  It can’t be helped, as it seems only appropriate to comment on the passing of Michael Crichton in both a book blog and a movie blog, what with his involvement in both areas.

I can’t imagine that you never heard of him… Unless you are something like five years old. If you were born in or before the 90’s, however, you must have heard of at least one of the movies based on his books - like, for instance, a little old Sci-Fi flick called Jurassic Park. You may also have heard of some TV show he created, called E.R.  Both pretty obscure now, of course. (I kid.)

Of course, there have also been some clunkers. I was never a fan of The Thirtheenth Warrior, or that film about the talking monkeys and the diamond mine (was that Congo, or am I confusing that with some other movie about talking monkeys and diamonds?)

However, this seems like an innappropriate time to criticise his efforts. If there’s one thing that needs to be said right now, it’s that Michael Crichton succeeded in strongly influencing sci-fi films. I believe that can be agreed even by his critics.

I had been thinking the other day that it seems like a long time since I’ve heard about a new Michael Crichton book… and then, this morning, was met by the headline that he had just passed away. He was 66 years old.